Since I'm a student my budget is limited so I want to start from the entry level teas. ...What I need from a tea is an energizing drink and a strong flavour. What entry level (under 10euro/100gr) pu erh do you think will fit me the most (from the Dragon Tea House)??

Here is another shop - Yunnansourcing - which i would recommend, and two teas that are somewhat in your price category, very reasonably priced and already aged enough to be very pleasant, can be drunk now, both are from small no name factories, which helps to keep prices down:

thank you for the input theredbaron! but the shipping cost need to be added and is not so cheap. It would be ok if I already new something about tea so that I could buy more than 1 cake. But I think I should fly down for a bit. I think I should go for order of 100 gr for this reasons:-I don't know much about types of tea, so if I buy entire cake I would either be broke because I would buy over the year lot of different cakes that I will not finish or would not try different tea over the year-sample of 20gr I think is made for someone that know a bit about "making a good cup of tea". Somebody that after the first cup know what to do to make it better (like changing infusion temperature/time or gr per cup). Since I'm not that guy I will need for sure more than 20gr.

stryder wrote:thank you for the input theredbaron! but the shipping cost need to be added and is not so cheap. It would be ok if I already new something about tea so that I could buy more than 1 cake. But I think I should fly down for a bit. I think I should go for order of 100 gr for this reasons:-I don't know much about types of tea, so if I buy entire cake I would either be broke because I would buy over the year lot of different cakes that I will not finish or would not try different tea over the year-sample of 20gr I think is made for someone that know a bit about "making a good cup of tea". Somebody that after the first cup know what to do to make it better (like changing infusion temperature/time or gr per cup). Since I'm not that guy I will need for sure more than 20gr.

What do you advice me to start from bannacha or DTH

I don't know the teas of those two shops.

A few things though - not finishing a raw Pu Erh cake is no problem - on the opposite. Raw Pu Erh gets better the older it is. I personally only drink my Pu Erh's when they have been stored at least ten years (in my more humid and hot climate, add several years if i buy them stored in a more dry climate). Those two teas here have lost most of their green taste, and have transformed quite well already, without having a nasty storage taste that you would have to air out for a year or two before being able to enjoy them.

I would advise you to start off with a whole cake, because 100 gram might not be enough for trying and testing as well. The next question of course is the tea pot issue - do you have a small tea pot (or porcellain gaiwan, which might be cheaper). Pu Erh is drunk different than western style tea - you do short infusion times, and many infusions (depending on tea, you can do with very good teas up to 20 or so infusions - towards the end of course longer infusion times).

But be advised - drinking Chinese tea is very addictive, and it is not a cheap hobby

I would actually start with some samples from Yunnan Sourcing or any puerh vendor so you can get a taste for what you like. Then buy a cake or two. Because if you dont like the cake you get you are stuck with a lot of tea that you dont enjoy drinking. Always try to sample first. You might not like what others do.

sampletea samples are pretty cheap, generally around 1$/10g for the new stuff. I think thats a pretty good size for just trying a tea out (I use only 1-1.5g in my yixing pot). its the shipping that gets you though

yalokinh wrote:sampletea samples are pretty cheap, generally around 1$/10g for the new stuff. I think thats a pretty good size for just trying a tea out (I use only 1-1.5g in my yixing pot). its the shipping that gets you though